View From the Cellar

• By John Gilman
  Jul/Aug 2008, Issue #16, The Loire Valley Still in Full Bloom

  (Sancerre “La Comtesse”- Domaine Gérard Bouley) Subscribe to see review text.

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  8/23/2010 (link)

  (COMTESSE Boulay) Comtesse Vertical Dear Friends, This is special - even for me (I am first and foremost a wine consumer, just like all of you). Before the Boulay family changes their mind and keeps this library stock for themselves, I’ll put my hand up and vote for this set as the very best in Sancerre. Others will scream for Vatan or for one of the Cotats (maybe Alphonse Mellot?) and all are deserving but, pound for pound, Gerard Boulay and his family deliver what I consider to be the finest non-malolactic expressions of their terroir in Sancerre. This is Sauvignon Blanc – period. La Comtesse is Boulay’s rarest wine – from a hand-picked 65 year old vineyard in a micro-section of Monts Damnes (considered Sancerre’s most prized plot from the 1800s on). It is a tiny .40 hectare parcel with an uncanny ability to deliver solid mass extract ratios that are not the norm, even for Sancerre’s best sites. No yeast, enzymes or other are added and the fermentation can be slow but the wait is more than worth it. The final wine is never filtered or fined – it is the exact reflection of a grand-cru worthy parcel and the vintage that shaped it. I recently sent out a twitter tweet (Garagiste_Wine) on the 2004 Bouchard Corton-Charlemagne and its near perfection for the varietal (in that case, Chardonnay) – Boulay’s Comtesse reminds me in some way of that wine – it is bathed in a similar pinpoint minerality with glorious extract and acidity that coat the palate and the back of the throat (with the flavor of a specific time and place left squarely in the mind). In other words, the experience that Comtesse delivers is what most of us are chasing but rarely encounter in wine. As far as vintages are concerned, all three should age for years (15-20 is not unreasonable in a cold cellar) and all three are worthy of your most attuned consideration. While Comtesse is among the highest rated of all Sancerre (if not the single highest rated in a particular vintage), please try to ignore point scores - in 20 years points are not going to matter and scores are not really the “point” with Comtesse – your palate and the educational (as well as gustatory) experience are. This parcel is directly from the library cellar at Boulay with impeccable provenance: 2006 Gerard Boulay Sancerre “La Comtesse” - ( from Josh but the 2006 is every bit as good as any vintage of Comtesse with years of ageing potential in front of it – a cross between 2005 and 2008. VERY RARE, especially with this level of provenance – JR) 2007 Gerard Boulay Sancerre “La Comtesse” - 2008 Gerard Boulay Sancerre “La Comtesse” - Please give us your maximum number of each and we will allocate accordingly. To order: niki@garagistewine.com This parcel is set to depart from Chavignol – it will arrive in October (please check OARS for local pick up after October 25th). It will ship during the Fall shipping season (late) - please try to exercise patience and put these away for a few years – you’ll be very glad you did. Out of state orders will be held for free under ideal storage conditions (56 degrees/70%humidity) until shipping is possible. Locals may pick up at their leisure. For current local pick up and arrival/ship information, please see your OARS link below (at the bottom of this offer) - don’t know how to access your OARS? Simply click the link and see your account. You can also paste the link into your browser. If you are having trouble with your link or your account, please contact: support@garagistewine.com NO SALES TO RETAILERS OR WHOLESALERS Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Click here to view the status of your orders in O.A.R.S.

• By Jon Rimmerman
  9/11/2007 (link)

  (Boulay COMTESSE Sancerre) UPDATE: As a reminder, the OARS system is not in real-time yet. It is still being updated and may be as many as three weeks behind today’s date (some of you will be closer to one week behind). It should be close to real time for everyone within a few weeks. Until then, rest assured, your data is being compiled and will be loaded into your account when it is ready to be updated. *********************** Comtesse #2 Dear Friends, For those of you that purchased the 2005 Boulay Sancerre “Comtesse” last week - you may want to consider this wine as well. I just returned from tasting it (and the 2005 for the second time) and I’m still not sure what to say. I was supposed to wait to offer this until November but my enthusiasm cannot be dampened so here you go (you can remind yourself of how grand this wine can be with David Schildknecht's comments on the 2005 version). Both the 2005 and 2006 are exquisite wines - the 2005 has more deft power but the 2006 has a granite-like core of minerality that is unparalleled and aromatics that will make your head spin. In general, 2006 is turning in wines far better than many of us anticipated and it is reminding the old-timers of 1988 in the Loire - a vintage that has turned in some exceptional ageing wines. Not everything is a grand success but when they are on, the wines can be every bit as good as the best 2004s, without the excess gras (fat) of the 2005’s. There are few white wines with this much potential and complexity in one bottle - it is an exceptional example and should age for years. If pressed, it would be a tough call whether I would rather have the 2006 Comtesse or something like Bouchard’s 2005 Corton-Charlemagne, which itself is a joy of mineral infused terroir (although at twice the price). VERY RARE - only 225 bottles for the entire US. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 2006 Boulay Sancerre “Comtesse” Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Loire9590